DEALING WITH A KITTEN THAT TREATS THE WHOLE HOUSE AS A LITTER

Ann Huntington, D.V.M., Tribune Media ServicesCHICAGO TRIBUNE

Q-What trade secrets can you share on dealing with a cat that has taken to urinating throughout the house?

Our cat is just a year old. He began urinating on four sections of our living room carpet, presumably because of a urinary infection. Lab tests indicate the infection has cleared up, but the kitten shows no signs of surrender. Now that he has thoroughly marked these areas, we`re afraid he thinks he has a total of five ''litter boxes'' throughout the house.

A-Here are a few tricks that could be helpful in getting your cat back to using his ''approved'' litter pan only.

- Watch your cat for other signs of urinary infections, such as urinating more frequently, and, if there`s any question, have another urinalysis done.

- Make sure you clean the litter pan every day. If, at some point, you switched your brand of cat litter, go back to the original one or even keep a couple of different brands to see which type your cat prefers.

- Make sure to put litter pans in all parts of the house where your cat spends any time. This doesn`t mean you need to plunk one in the middle of the living room, but if you have one in the basement and your cat stays upstairs most of the time, just be sure there`s a litter pan on each floor.

- Thoroughly clean and deodorize the spots where the cat has urinated with a product designed specifically to eliminate the odor. There are several new products available that have proven far better than anything in the past. Ask your veterinarian which brand to use. If the spots in the living room are close enough together, cover them with newspaper. Then put a litter pan or food dish in the middle. If they are in four separate places, say in each corner of the room, making the newspaper trick impossible, try putting a food dish in each spot with a few pieces of dry cat food. Sometimes cats won`t mess where they are fed.

- Each time you change the litter, take your pet to the box and keep taking him back frequently until he uses it. Then praise him lavishly. Such positive reinforcement is not always effective with a cat, but it sometimes can overcome this kind of problem.

Q-I have a Newfoundland/Belgian, 7 1/2 years old. She`s a spayed female and has been my only dog for seven years. Now I`m thinking of getting a Doberman. I`m wondering if it`s too late to introduce a puppy to an older dog. Will she be jealous and depressed?

A-No, your dog is not too old to tolerate a puppy. With few exceptions, dogs enjoy canine company, and I`ve seen many instances when a new puppy in the family brings new life to an older dog.

How does your dog react when she meets other dogs? The initial meeting might be a bit tense, but if she wags her tail and is happy to meet other dogs when she`s out on a walk, I wouldn`t anticipate any problem if you get a puppy.

On the other hand, if she`s aggressive toward other dogs, which I doubt of a Newfoundland or Belgian shepherd, then introducing a new puppy could present a few difficulties and would have to be done gradually. But even in such a situation, I can`t recall a case where eventually the older dog didn`t adjust and actually be happy to have a friend.

Q-One of my cats is like a Persian, with a lovely gray coat. I comb and brush her, but she has some matted fur. She likes my garden, and I suspect she gets wet from the grass. I cut the lumps out when she`ll let me, but now she usually runs under the sofa where I can`t touch her. Is there some pill I could give her to calm her down while I trim the matted fur? I don`t think I could get her near a basket to take her to a vet.

A-Your request is reasonable but only up to a point. Though there are safe tranquilizers for cats, the patient must be healthy. And the only way to make sure your cat could tolerate tranquilizers would be to have her examined by a vet.

Most vets, myself included, would not dispense a tranquilizer without such an exam. Therefore, my advice is to wrap your cat in a blanket, then put her in a basket for a trip to the vet. If the vet gives your cat a clean bill of health, you can request a tranquilizer.

At our clinic we`ve found that some cats actually become more docile in strange surroundings than they are at home. One cat, whose fur was so matted the owner could not comb it, let us roll her over on her back, comb and clip out the mats. Therefore, it`s possible that if you take your cat to a professional groomer, she might react in the same way without tranquilizers. - ----------

Dr. Huntington welcomes questions from readers. Although she cannot reply to them individually, she will answer those of general interest in this column. Write to Dr. Huntington, c/o The Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. If your pet`s problem is urgent, consult your vet.